Are there elements of prophecy in Genesis 12:2-3?

Question

Genesis 12:2-3 reads, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse and all people's on earth will be blessed through you." Abraham lived about 1800 BC. Origionally he was an unknown, idol worshipping, sheepherder who would have lived and died a nobody. Yet, here is a prediction in the Bible that he will be a great nation and he will be blessed. He has become a great nation. The Jews, and many Arabs trace their ancestory to Abraham. The Jews, Muslims and Christians trace their spiritual ancestry to Abraham. This was fulfilled. "...I will make your name great." Abraham's name is considered great around the world, generation after generation. All people's on earth have been blessed through his faith and through his life example. In Galatians 3:8, it reveals that the whole world was blessed, even the Gentiles, through the Gospel. What do you think?

Answer 1

There are three prophecies here. But first, I'd like to point out there's no evidence that Abram was ever an "idol worshipper." There is no mention of this in the Bible. Secondly, Abram was never an unknown guy -- God demonstrates again and again in His Word that He knows us before we're even born. I think we can safely assume that applied to Abram.

Prophecy 1: "I will make of thee a great nation" is obvious: Abram's physical decendents comprise the Jews and most of the Arabs. This prophecy is interesting because God uses the word "gowy," which usually refers to "goyim" or Gentiles. But here, He means all nations that will arise from Abram through Ishmael and Isaac.

Prophecy 2: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:" This is a very important component of Abram's blessing. God states unequivocally that any nation that curses His chosen people will be cursed.

Prophecy 3: "and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." This is a direct promise by God that His son, Jesus Christ, would be a physical descendant of Abram.

Answer 2

First of all I am going to repost Genesis 12:2-3 and then add some footnotes in
2And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Passage Hebrews 11:8:
"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going."

Passage Genesis 22:17:
"indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies."

Passage Zechariah 8:13:
"It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing Do not fear; let your hands be strong."

Passage Numbers 24:9:
"He crouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you."

Passage Genesis 22:18:
"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

Passage Genesis 26:4:
"I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;

Passage Genesis 28:14:
"Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

And then Personally I think with the Scripture Passage Galatians 3:8 "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." I think that this verifies that it was a prophecy. And another way I tell if it is a prophecy or not is if it is mentioned later on as to reminding someone, that this is what God said, and this is waht happened. SoI hope this is not confusing if it is just email me and I will sort it out better.

Answer 3

There are two prophecies there.

Abraham became "the father of multitudes" (the meaning of "Abraham") through the Jewish people and the Arabs.

The world would be blessed through Abraham by means of his descendant after the flesh, Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). If you believe the Bible, you cannot apply this prophecy any other way.

Answer 4

that's the first actual Messianic prophecy. Moses became the author of Genesis. He did no longer have get acceptable of entry to to destiny books of the Bible that noted devil, and that's extremely sparkling that God did not exhibit those issues to him. Moses wrote what he understood, and he wrote about a serpent (no longer a snake) that tempted Eve. elsewhere in scripture, after Moses, Lucifer and/or devil stay defined as serpent-like. when we understand the serpent to be devil, then God's words listed lower than are completely sparkling. there'll be enmity (or strife, or a war) between the offspring of the lady and the serpent himself. The offspring of the lady is mankind, culminating contained in the beginning of Jesus Christ. (curiously, in Judaism and in each and each and every of the former testomony, children -- fairly male children -- are suggested be be born of adult men. in ordinary words in 2 places, right here and in discussing Jesus, are offspring suggested to be "born of a lady".) So the serpent, devil, will strike on the heel of adult men, the prophecy says, both persevering with the serpent metaphor and indicating that the blows dealt by employing that is purely no longer crushing. The offspring of the lady, Jesus, will strike the top of the serpent, dealing it a lack of existence blow. that's an extremely imprecise prophecy, yet prophecies are like that. some are imprecise, some are very certain, and that all of them might want to be fulfilled. The closer we get to a prophesied adventure, the added certain the prophecies are. As that's the first prophecy of the Messiah, a lot of that is extremely imprecise. regardless of the indisputable fact that the keyword, born of a lady, is particular and is echoed later in Luke.

Answer 5

Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Therefore Abraham is/has become the father of all the faithful. As such he is the natural father of both Jew and Arab through Isaac and Ishmael and the spiritual father of all who believe in God by faith. This is why we should not hate, but love one another and all be blessed.
Note: Please refrain in the future from disparaging remarks about others or their beliefs. It only excites and inflames more bad judgment. Thanks. Love ya.

Answer 6

That is the main covenant that God had with Israel. God renewed it several times with Abraham's descendants. It points only to the Jewish nation.

The whole world is blessed due to Christ's death and resurrection. I don't see a connection with this prophecy.

Answer 7

It is simple Jewish fantacy.

The Jews do not even consider this to be holy scripture.

For this reason I find It interesting that other groups have borrowed it and see it as being the word of God

Answer 8

This was a promise that God had made to Abraham.

Answer 9

Of course.

If God speaks it! It will surely come to pass...

This is one reason God's Judgement has not fallen on our sin sick country, because we stand behind the nation of Israel.
I pray we never turn our backs on her....

Answer 10

Nope. Grasping at straws again